Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides)- “The Church in Togo is maturing slowly but surely” Bishop Ambroise Kotamba Djoliba of the diocese of Sokodé and president of the Togo Bishops' Conference told Fides. The Bishops are in Rome for their ad limina visit. “Our priority is the Christian, human and spiritual formation of the faithful” Bishop Djoliba said. “In this an essential role is played by our Catholic schools open to all, and seminaries for the formation of future priests, especially our Major Seminary. We are grateful to missionaries past and present who have a fundamental role in the field of education”.
“All the members of the Church, clergy, religious and laity need adequate formation if they are to meet the needs of the people” said the president of the Togo bishops. “Formation also includes inculturation of the faith so that our faithful do not feel they are strangers in their own Church. In this regard it should be remembered that in our country traditional religion has had and continues to have a strong influence of the life of the people. This why we must form the faithful well so that when difficulties arise with regard to traditional beliefs that are able to find in the Catholic faith the resources to deal with the challenges”.
In this regard Bishop Djoliba recalls the challenge of religious sects coming from other countries. “Some of these sects are very active: we see a proliferation of sects of American origin which have considerable funds at disposal and make many followers and this is a challenge for Catholics. The sects are most active among the poorer people because they offer immediate solutions to their difficulties. Our people need to feel strongly supported by the Church so they remain faithful to the message of Christ”.
With regard to relations with members of other churches and religions the Bishop said "there is good collaboration and reciprocal respect with other Christian Churches and with Muslim communities, in the social field to help the people most in need. However we know that funds are sent from other countries to build mosques and pay Islamic preachers”.
At the social and political level there was tension in Togo following the death of president Gnassingbé Eyadema in February 2005 (see Fides 8 February 2005). “the situation gradually improved” the Bishop said. “We hope for a good outcome of the next elections, and we hope they will be peaceful and fair. I am sure this will lead to peace in our country”.
The ad limina visit to Rome is an opportunity for the Bishops of Togo to share with the universal Church of the hopes and fears of their Church and their nation. In this regard Bishop Djoliba said he asks first of all “for the prayers of the universal Church. We want our brothers and sisters in the faith to know that in Togo life is difficult and we need prayers. We also need material help because the economic situation is difficult and we need the support of our Sister Churches to build our structures. We also need help for the formation of our seminarians. We have twinning programmes with various dioceses in other countries for the formation of our priests. We hope to build a network of spiritual, human and material resources of the Churches in our region to improve the services offered to the faithful in our countries”.
“The Church is popular with the people because she is close to all the people. In every village priests and sisters run dispensaries which provide a good service. For us this is a way bear witness to God's love for his people” the Bishop of Sokodé concludes. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 22/6/2007 righe 51 parole 680)
